601.955.4094mike@thompsonplacemaking.com

“Whatever you do, do it with all your heart, as for the Lord and not for men.” — Col. 3:23

Master Planning

Habitat for Humanity.

East Helena, Montana

In 2024, I led a charrette team in East Helena, Montana for Habitat for Humanity and their test case for a 250-acre new urban development, blending their typical housing options with market-rate housing and a small town center.

The site had a state highway and a major gas line running through it, but we found that a welcomed challenge to create something unique for the city and development.

The plan accommodates a wide variety of housing, including cottage courts, single-family detached, townhomes, 4-plexes, 6-plexes, multi-family, and mixed-use products. The town center was concentrated around an event lawn space, and we incorporated many large greenways into the plan.

Master plan for traditional neighborhood development with Southern residential architecture, tree-lined streets, and central green space.

Aerial watercolor rendering of traditional neighborhood design master plan with Greek Revival architecture, tree-lined streets, and central green space.

Hand-rendered watercolor of traditional neighborhood street lined with Greek Revival and Italianate homes, mature trees, and tree-lined boulevard.

Watercolor rendering of Traditional Neighborhood Design streetscape with Southern colonial homes, mature shade trees, and green common space for families and dogs.

The traditional neighborhood — represented by mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly communities of varied population, either standing free as villages or grouped into towns and cities — has proved to be a sustainable form of growth.— Andrés Duany

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